Blake stepped into the condo. “We won’t keep you long. Doris thinks you know something about the murders of Paradise’s parents. We don’t think you hurt them, but you might know something that would help us find out who did.”
His brown eyes were wild, and he backed away with his hands in front of him. “I can’t tell you anything. Bea is dead, did you know that? I’ll be next. Look into Ben’s history. The truth is there. Just leave me alone.” He turned and ran to the sliding door out onto the balcony.
Blake didn’t have time to dwell on the news about Bea but instead went after him. Warren swung one leg over the railing, then the other. He began to sidle along the edge of the balcony towardthe wall, and Blake knew he planned to try to swing himself over to another condo. “It’s windy out there, Warren. Come on in and we’ll just talk.”
Uncertainty twisted Warren’s lips, and he edged back toward Blake. “I realized what they were going to do, and I ran away. I didn’t want to hurt anyone.” A thunderous roar grew, and a formation of low-flying fighter jets from Pensacola shook the building. Wind gusted around the balcony and yanked on Warren’s shirt.
Blake darted forward to help steady him, but Warren lost his grip. He stared up into Blake’s eyes as he plummeted toward the ground.
Chapter 28
Paradise stood fifteen feet away from the group of officers and paramedics on the scene and hugged herself as the wind-driven sand stung her legs. Abby stood silently beside her with her auburn hair whipping around her face. The sound of the ocean should have soothed Paradise, but she was too uncomfortable here in the wind and the dark.
She craned her head to stare for a moment at the brilliant stars, then inhaled the salty tang of the wind and tried to calm her racing heart. Even though it felt like everything had spiraled out of control today, God felt close in this moment. He was in control.
Everything had happened so fast. Paradise had been right behind Blake, but they were both helpless to stop the terrible tragedy. The scene played out in her head over and over. Warren’s wide, panic-stricken eyes, his mouth moving with words she couldn’t hear, then that final terrible moment when the wind buffeted him and tore him from the railing.
Blake separated from the group and walked toward her. “You okay?”
She nodded. “He’s dead?”
He put his arms around her and pulled her to his chest. “Yeah. Broke his neck in the fall.” His voice vibrated with tension. “He was really scared of someone.”
She nestled against his warmth and listened to the steady thump of his heart under her ear. “I couldn’t hear what he said to you.”
“He said, ‘Look into Ben’s history. The truth is there.’”
“And we have no idea what that means.”
“If he’s right, someone connected to Ben is at the heart of the murders. We have to dig into everyone’s connections. It’s a big job, but we have direction. Here comes Drew.”
She moved away from the comfort of Blake’s embrace and turned to face her brother. His grim expression tugged at her emotions. How did he handle being faced with death every time he turned around?
He shot a glance at Abby. “Sorry you had to witness all this. The police want to question each of us separately. It’s standard policy. They’d like to talk to you first, Blake. You were the tip of the spear, so to speak, the one closest to Warren when he fell.” Drew pointed out an officer with an unruly mane of black hair. “Go see him. I’ll stay with the girls.”
Blake nodded and headed that way. Would the police think any of them had killed Warren? But no, there were four witnesses to the accident. The stories would all line up to the truth.
Drew took Abby’s hand. “You look cold.”
“Just tired of the wind.” She bit her lip and moved closer to him. “Do you think they suspect any of us pushed Warren off the balcony?”
“No, I think the scene is clear enough. They seemed to accept the recounting of events. I was right behind Paradise and saw it all. I gave them Rod’s phone number so they could verify we werepursuing leads in a cold case. They’ll probably come to the refuge and ask a few questions as well. People can verify that Warren left work suddenly. I also told them about his girlfriend who can verify he’d left town.”
The tension eased out of Paradise’s shoulders. Hopefully this wouldn’t take long and they could get out of this wind and head for home. “Did you hear what Warren said to Blake?”
“I was too far away, and the wind was blowing through the open patio door. I saw his mouth move, but that’s all.”
She told him what Blake had said. “So it sounds like we need to find out everything we can about your father’s family.”
“It’s a large one with a lot of tentacles in every direction. They’re so involved with politics, it’s going to be a huge pool of suspects. If we can figure out why Ben and his wife were targetedandyour parents, it would help us narrow in on the killer. It’s a puzzle.”
“What do we do next?”
The breeze lifted his light brown hair, and he tried to palm it down. “I think another visit with my father’s family is in order. I want to meet the other siblings and see what they know. Victoria’s birthday party is Friday. We’ll all go down.”
“I’m not so sure about that. Maybe you should go by yourself.”
“I want you with me. Blake too. We can wander around and see what we find out. It sounds like it will be a big party. I’ll verify with Duke whether it’s okay to bring you, but I’m sure it will be. I’m also interested in finding out more about Pamela. Even her own daughter says she was manipulative. Some connection to her could have led to the murders.”
